The ‘City Tour,’ which includes visits to Souq Waqif, Museum of Islamic Art, Katara - the Cultural Village, and The Pearl-Qatar, tops the list of cruise passengers’ preferred short stay package, according to a number of tour operators in Doha.
"More than 60% of the cruise passengers chose to roam the city than going to other places," an employee with a tour operator told Gulf Times.
“The city tour is more relaxing for many cruise passengers, who are mostly seniors and retirees, and it offers a visit to some of the most popular tourist attractions, which are just a few kilometres away from the Doha Port,” she explained.
Some passengers also go for an 'adventurous experience' such as the desert safari, which requires at least an hour's ride from Doha.
Others visit the northern part of the country to see Al Zubara Fort, which is on one side of Al Zubarah Archaeological Site, a Unesco World Heritage Site 100km northwest of Doha. The trip usually covers a stop at Umm Salal Mohamed, a historical place where visitors can find old architecture, and Al Khor.
Two cruise ships docked at the Doha Port last month (October 18 and 31) carrying hundreds of passengers, many of whom saw and experienced some of Qatar’s tourism offerings.
‘The World,’ known as the largest private residential ship on the planet, is home to 165 residences with patrons from 45 countries while Azamara Journey hosts 724 passengers on its Arabian tour, including a day in Qatar.
The country is expecting a total of 32 cruise ships to dock at the Doha Port for the 2016/2017 cruise season, which runs until April next year. It aims to attract 250,000 cruise passengers in 2019.
“Visiting a museum and a historical or cultural site seems to be a must for these passengers, it is always part of their itinerary,” said an employee of another company.
Some tour operators offer other options for their city and heritage tours such as a walk along the Doha Corniche, visiting Msheireb Museums and Sheikh Faisal Museum, as well as venues for horse or camel races at Al Rayyan and Shahaniya.
The dhow cruise is also attracting an increasing number of cruise passengers, especially those in groups and newly-wed couples, according to the employee, who is also a trained tour guide.
He said many of these daily one-hour boat rides in the morning, afternoon or evening also offer traditional snacks, refreshments, and buffet dinner (for evening cruise).
With ease in disembarking and entering the country free of charge, he pointed out that a lot of passengers will be enticed to visit various places in the country.
Apart from the good weather during this period in the region, many passengers also cited Qatar’s growing popularity as a sports hub and one of the safest countries in the world.